Commemoration of Martyrdom of the Bab

Erica and I have just returned from a wonderful commemoration for the anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Bab. Some 25 Baha’is from Welwyn, Welwyn Garden City, and Hertford got together in the home of one of the Welwyn Baha’i families. We had visitors as well: Jerry Smith, a British Baha’i who is native to Hertfordshire but who lives in Latvia; and Gill, who grew up in Welwyn but now lives in Lincoln, - her son is part of the Welwyn community.

The anniversary of the Maryrdom of the Bab is one of the solemn holy days of the Baha’i calendar and is our opportunity to remember the injustice and prejudice and rage against the Bab and his followers in 19th-century Iran that led to the shooting by firing squad of the young Manifestation of God.

Our programme consisted of a reading of the story of the martyrdom and the events surrounding it, interspersed with prayers and passages from the Bab’s writings. Here’s a bit of the story from The Baha’is website:

Ultimately, those opposed to the B?b argued that He was not only a heretic, but a dangerous rebel. The authorities decided to have Him executed. On 9 July 1850, this sentence was carried out, in the courtyard of the Tabriz army barracks. Some 10,000 people crowded the rooftops of the barracks and houses that overlooked the square. The B?b and a young follower were suspended by two ropes against a wall. A regiment of 750 Armenian soldiers, arranged in three files of 250 each, opened fire in three successive volleys. So dense was the smoke raised by the gunpowder and dust that the entire yard was obscured.

The report of the execution, written to Lord Palmerston, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, by Sir Justin Shiel, Queen Victoria’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Tehran on July 22, 1850, records: ‘When the smoke and dust cleared away after the volley, B?b was not to be seen, and the populace proclaimed that he had ascended to the skies. The balls had broken the ropes by which he was bound but he was dragged from the recess where, after some search he was discovered and shot.’

After the first attempt at execution, the B?b was found back in His cell, giving final instructions to one of His followers. Earlier in the day, when the guards had come to take Him to the courtyard, the B?b had warned that no ‘earthly power’ could silence Him until He had finished all that He had to say. When the guards arrived this second time, the B?b calmly announced: ‘Now you may proceed to fulfill your intention.’

Again, the B?b and His young companion were brought out for execution. The Armenian troops refused to fire, and a Muslim firing squad was assembled and ordered to shoot. This time the bodies of the pair were shattered, their bones and flesh mingled into one mass. Surprisingly, their faces were untouched. The light of the “Mystic Fane,” as the B?b referred to Himself, had been quenched under a dramatic set of circumstances. The last words of the B?b to the crowd were: “O wayward generation! Had you believed in Me every one of you would have followed the example of this youth, who stood in rank above most of you, and would have willingly sacrificed himself in My path. The day will come when you will have recognized Me; that day I shall have ceased to be with you.’

Read the rest here.

The reading of the story and the prayers together created an atmosphere that was both powerful and reflective. After the reading, we paused for a time and shared stories about the development of the Baha’i community. Jerry and Gill both spoke, each moved that the Baha’i community has become so well established in their native county.

Then at 1.00 p.m. (noon by the sun), the proper time, Erica recited the Tablet of Visitation. It was difficult to break the silence after that recitation.

After the spiritual food, Roya, our hostess, treated us to wonderful Persian food. We ate and we talked. And then home, to digest.

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